ON THE PERIPHERY
© Farouk
Asvat
On the periphery of so many things
Why did you not listen
To your heart
When you listened
To your mother's flesh
But I have exorcised the ghost
Of your laughter
And the mirror of madness
That was my eyes
For so many seasons
Now I sit here and watch you
Sadness reflecting your life
Love buried beneath the years
Of the music you desired
In the comfort of luxurious
lounges
©
farouk asvat
composed: 1985 [Johannesburg, South Africa
under apartheid]
[] Acknowledgements:
On The
Periphery was
previously published in:
A Celebration Of Flames (donker,
p38, 1987);
A Celebration of Flames (Heller Fund, UC Berkeley, USA, p32, 1988);
Aan
De Periferie: Dutch translation
by Irene Scheltes (1989);
A Celebration Of Flames (piquant publications, p50, 2007);
www.faroukasvat-poems.blogspot.com
(30.10.2012);
A Celebration Of Flames (amazon kindle, 2014);
A Celebration Of Flames (amazon paperback, p50, 2014).
(different versions: edited: 2007)
[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][]
the NOVEL Sadness In The
House Of Love by Farouk Asvat
is now available on amazon: paperback @ $15 &
kindle @ only $5
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[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][]
the NOVEL The Gathering Of The Storm by Farouk
Asvat
is now available on amazon: paperback @ $10 &
kindle @ only $5
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[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][]
the anthology I Dream In Long Sentences by Farouk
Asvat
is now available on amazon: paperback @ $10 &
kindle @ only $5
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the anthology The Wind Still Sings Sad Songs by Farouk
Asvat
is now available on amazon: paperback @ $10 &
kindle @ only $5
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[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][]
the anthology A Celebration Of Flames by Farouk Asvat
is now available on amazon: paperback @ $10 &
kindle @ only $5
[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][]
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the anthology The Time Of Our Lives by Farouk Asvat
is now available on amazon: paperback @ $10 &
kindle @ only $5
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the anthology Bra Frooks … by Farouk
Asvat
is now available on amazon: paperback @ $7.50 &
kindle @ only $5
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the SHORT STORIES The Paanies Are Coming by Farouk Asvat
is now available on amazon: paperback @ $10 &
kindle @ only $5
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the collection of
literary ESSAYS Weapons of Words by Farouk
Asvat
is now available on amazon: paperback @ $10 &
kindle @ only $5
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© farouk asvat. All rights reserved.
Farouk
Asvat asserts his moral right to be
identified as the author of this work.
No part of this publication may
be reproduced by any means whatsoever, or transmitted in any form or any means
whatsoever, mechanical or electronic, including recording, printing,
photocopying, or via any computerised means or media, including the
internet. This publication shall also
not be stored in a retrieval system. And
the writing shall not be sold, lent, hired, resold or circulated in any form or
binding or cover other than that in which it is published,
without the prior permission of the author in writing.
Permission
to publish or reproduce the writings in any format can be obtained from the
author.
Reproduction
of this work without permission, except for scholarly & nonprofit purposes,
is
liable to a payment of 10, 000 ren men bi or US$ 1,500.
farouk asvat can be contacted at: farouk.asvat@gmail.com
[] please check out my blogs @:
weapons of words: www.faroukasvat-viewpoint.blogspot.com
piquante: www.faroukasvat-piquant.blogspot.com
books by farouk asvat: www.faroukasvat-books.blogspot.com
[] also link up on:
linkedin: www.linkedin.com/farouk-asvat
facebook: www.facebook.com/faroukasvat
youtube: www.youtube.com/c/faroukasvat
twitter: www.twitter.com/faroukasvat
_______________________________________________________
[]
AAN DE PERIFERIE
Dutch
translation by © Irene Scheltes
Aan
de periferie van zovee l dingen,
Waarom
luisterde je niet
Naar
je hart
Toen
je luisterde
Naar
je moeders vlees
Maar ik heb de kwade
geest uitgedreven
Van
je lach
En
de spiegel van waanzin
Die
mijn ogen varen
Seizoenen
achtereen
Nu zit ik hier en houd
je in het oog
Verdriet
weerspiegelt je leven:
Liefde
ligt begraven onder de jaren
Van
de muziek waarnaar je verlangde
In
de weelde van luxueuze salons
Terwijl ik hier werk
Verweg
In de rustieke
omgeving
Van
een kliniek aan de periferie
Waar
de honger loert
In
de kozijnen van schamele huizen
In
de ogen van schurftige honden
Op
de rug van morogo-plukkende vrouwen:
We zitten in de keuken
Delen anecdotes en
thee
Houdon hen in de
gaten:
Springbok Reizen
Brengen een vrolijke
troep toeristen
Kijkend door veilige
verrekijkers
Van een heuvel op
afstand:
Het leger van nijlpard
en olifant
En
de massa met molotovs,
Aangevuurd door de emoties van hun jeugdig
avontuur
Hoe dan ook vermengd
Met het verlangen naar vrijheid,
Die hen niet toe zal laten
In de heksenketel van geweld:
Zij, roze gezichten, begerige ogen.
Moeten terug naar de plek
Waar frisse meisjes hul dijen ontbloten
In pin-up rokken, mode des doods
Pronkend in de neonstraten
Trotse gang naar vergetelheid
Dutch
translation by kind permission of © Irene Scheltes
[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][]
the NOVEL Sadness In The
House Of Love by Farouk Asvat
is now available on amazon: paperback @ $15 &
kindle @ only $5
[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][]
#love #literature #fiction #novel #poetry
#southafrica #apartheid #books #classics
#faroukasvat #weapons of words #comparative
literature #literary criticism
#a celebration
of flames #on the periphery
